one on one: day thirty-two & changes

The first thing you may notice is that I skipped posting about my day thirty-one of my one on one with Joon. There was a session, of sorts. There will be some changes happening as Joon and I have had to adjust our sessions for various reasons. We will still meet one on one once a week and then he will program something for me to do on my own on another day of the week. This will help me save  some time by posting about two sessions into one posting. On that note I will begin with last Fridays session:

Day 31:
Warm-up (2 rounds):
     200m Row
     10 Hollow Rocks
     10 Hip Extensions
     10 Banded Pull-ups
     10 Push-ups
     10 Pass Throughs
     10 OHS (pvc pipe)

Then,
BB Complex (20 rounds):
     3 Hang Snatches
     3 Push Press (Snatch Grip)
     3 OHS
*no shoes*

Joon wasn't there during this session but I felt pretty confident doing it all on my own. The BB Complex was with a 35# barbell and I felt good just working on my technique and feeling the movement through. After 20 rounds I was amazed by the amount of sweat I built up. I have gone from hating snatches to not minding them much at all. It's amazing how that happens. Though I promise you I will NEVER change how I feel when it comes to the AirFit... NEVER!

Day 32:
Warm-up:
     Easy 500m Row

Then,
A) For time (21-15-9):
     DB Snatches (20#)
     Jumping Squats
Completed time: 4:57

B) 10 x 5 Cal AirFit (20/10)

So for part A Joon stated that he wanted me to be in the 6 to 7 minute range. It was an endurance day and we've been working on my thresholds. He wanted me to work through the burn and keep moving. In my head I was thinking he was crazy that I would not finish it that fast, but as I promised him I would push as much as I could. The dumbbell snatches were doable without having to stop but because I am alternating arms from the ground, I am already squatting a bit. Moving onto the jumping squats was not a pleasant experience. At first I could only string two squats and half way through I managed to begin to string three squats. Every time I tried to do more I would come close to falling or I'd land straight legged. It was as if my legs were in complete control and dictated what was happening. With that said, I did push to not take such long breaks. I would pump out my three then shake my legs out and push out another three. I was breathing hard but focusing on controlling my breathes. When I finished my last set of nine, I was happily surprised with my time. I did much better then Joon had anticipated me to (though I am sure he knew I had it in me... as always). Part B of course sucked major ass! After a long break from part A, I had 10 rounds where I had 20 seconds to reach 5 calories then a 10 second rest period. But if I managed to get my 5 calories in less then 20 seconds, the longer the break would be. The first 3 or 4 rounds wasn't so bad, I was feeling pretty good. Then round 5 hit and I thought I was going to die. But I fought hard, probably the hardest I have ever on that stupid machine. My prize for completing it? An ass cramp, literally.

All in all I'm feeling pretty good and slowly getting back on a groove. Making small changes to the diet, planning some things ahead, and trying to soak as much as I can from Tony, Joon, and Emily!

Photo was taken from Pinterest.

filthy fifty

Last year December I did the Filthy Fifty at CrossFit Stumptown for the first time- it sucked. But I managed to get it done in 33:26, modified of course. It's been almost an entire year and the WOD resurfaced today. I battled with the thoughts if I should do or not since I already worked out this morning with Joon. But I really wanted to do it again and beat my time. I know the last time I did it I did step-ups instead of box jumps, did single unders instead of double, and I am not sure how I modified the knees to elbow. If I hadn't fucked up my shin a week ago I think I could've done the box jumps but jumping on a box isn't something I really wanted to do yet... not prepared for it. Tony added a twist to this WOD by adding a time cap of 35 minutes and for those doing singles, instead of 3x it was 4x. Well ladies and gents, I mustered through the workout with the intent of beating my time and I am happy to say I DID! My new time is now 33:06 (modified).

Filthy Fifty: 50 reps each
Box Jumps 20/24 (I did jumps on 3 stacked 45# plates)
Jumping Pull-ups
Kettlebell Swing 25/35#
Walking Lunges
Knees to Elbow
Push Press 35/45#
Back Extensions
Wall Balls 14/20#
Burpees
Double Unders (I did 200 singles)

This photo was taken from Pinterest.

one on one: day thirty

So I am 30 sessions in and today was definitely an ass kicker! After being off for a week in sessions and gym time (due to my little shin accident), my body is feeling quite tired and sore. Made it back last night and learned to kip a little which was exciting but killed my hands. This morning I was practicing my hand grip on a little hand held device and that was a big mistake. Joon had me doing stuff on the barbell and my arms were basically done. So here is what I accomplished today:

Warm-up: Row 800m
Then,
15x OHS @ 65#
30-sec Sprint on SkiErg: 125m
15x Hang Clean @ 65#
30-sec Sprint on SkiErg: 124
15x Push Presses @ 65#
30-sec Sprint on SkiErg: 121
15x Front Squat @ 65#
30-sec Sprint on SkiErg: 120

Then,
Increased the weight to 75# and the reps down to 10x
30-sec Sprint on SkiErg: 121
30-sec Sprint on SkiErg: 122
30-sec Sprint on SkiErg: 116 <-- that was a tough one
30-sec Sprint on SkiErg: 123

My hands, arms, and shoulders were pretty much toast. But I still managed to go back this evening and that will be a different posting. I felt fairly good and I hope to only keep improving!

This photo was taken from Pinterest.

update on shin, school, and diet... oh my!

So if you haven't already read, heard, or seen it, a box jumped out and bit me a week ago while I was doing box jumps. The right shin faired it pretty well, it's pretty much healed now and the only evidence is discoloration and slight soreness to the surrounding tissue and bone. But my left shin isn't so well. Thankfully no infection has set in, I am diligent on keeping it clean and letting it breathe. But wearing clothing over it is irritating the fuck out of it. During breaks or when there are no patients in the office, I tend to hike up my pants to me knees to let the wound breathe and relax. I walk around looking all gangster at work now, it's pretty funny. Unfortunately this side got the brunt of the bite and the tenderness reaches as high as my knee (which also sustained some bruising). When putting on ointment I can tell that I still have nerve damage as I can only feel pressure but no sensation. I assume this is normal and once I'm done healing then feeling will come back... I hope. Because I'm on my feet most of everyday at work or sitting at the dining table working on schoolwork, my left ankle is now swollen and has some slight bruising going on. I am irritated to no end because all I want to do is feel normal and not have to be careful with my every movement to avoid hitting my left shin against anything or anyone. I can't jump or run which makes working out hard, doable but hard. I want the healing to be done with already and I want things to be as they were. Ahhhhh!

As for school, all is going well. I'm utterly fascinated with Geology now and learning more about what makes our planet tick. Besides volcanos, my favorite part is learning how all the continents were once one large one and how it broke apart. My Human Geography class is eh, the coursework is easy enough and some things are interesting but I'm not as impressed by it as I thought I would be. And lastly, my History of Religion in the US class is blowing my mind away. Learning how religion reached the America's and how it changed, branched off, and grew is quite interesting. Learning so much and confirming to myself that I have made the right decision on my own faith.

And the dreaded diet. This is probably the hardest part of living healthy. Trying to find something that works for you and figuring out how to balance it all. After my little ER trips this past July and learning that I had become allergic to soy protein really put a dent to my diet. Having to give up my protein bars that helped me so much in times where I couldn't sit down to eat something, or to fit in as a snack was great. But now I am having to find something else to fit in it's place and I am struggling. I know that I do not eat enough and that I don't always eat the best. More like I tend to have too much of one thing during a 24 hour period. I don't balance my diet well and when I try to plan my meals, everything and anything sets me back or off track. Thankfully there is this wonderful coach at CFST, Emily, who is helping. She had me track my diet for one week so that she can analyze it. I have finished my one week and am getting ready to send that off to her here shortly. I am hoping she can steer me in the right direction.

So other than my shins and diet, all is going well in my life. I look forward to CrossFitting again with all my gym mates and getting my diet back on track. And I hope all of you are doing well!

This photo was taken from Pinterest.

one on one: day twenty-nine (day of boo boo)

Well todays been a painful day, and not painful in a sore from a WOD sense. But painful in a box tried to eat me for lunch sense. After CrossFitting for almost a year and a half, today I had my very first run in with a box. Not with one leg, but both legs. I was literally only two jumps away from being finished and BAM! Not a pleasant experience. My left leg took the brunt of the damage but both hit the box. Thankfully it didn't go deep to the bone but enough to expose the fascia (white meat). At first, besides the pain, there were no visual indicators that I hit. After a few minutes of trying to walk around and hold back in yelling from the pain, Tony had me lift my tights again and blood began to show up. The pain only escalated from there and it only took a minute or two for both spots to get bright purple. By this point Joon said I was done for the day and that we needed to clean my legs up. Walking for the first few hours after was rough, any jarring movement sucked. It's beginning to feel better to walk but touching the skin around the areas is exceptionally sensitive and hurts like hell, regardless of how light I touch. I hope that by Monday I will be back to WODing with no issues. Here is what I did manage to do today before my boo boo:

Warm-up:
10 min Row

5 x 10 Back Squats 100#
5 x 5 Box Jumps

This little incident will NOT stop me from doing box jumps in the future, but I am seriously considering on getting some sleeves for my lower legs. This way next time I have a mishap, besides bruised sore shins, there will be no breaking of the skin!

The photo was taken from Pinterest.